Rouhani wins over Qom, for now
President Hassan Rouhani took a surprise trip to Qom to win over the support of senior clerics in Iran's religious capital.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani visited Iran’s holy city of Qom, located about 130 kilometers (80 miles) southwest of Tehran, on Feb. 25. Qom is considered the religious capital of Iran for its seminary, the prominent presence of clerics and grand ayatollahs, and the Holy Shrine of Fatima Masoumeh, sister of the eighth Shiite Imam.
Grand ayatollahs living in Qom have made this city unique and also an important center of power that has played a pivotal role in Iran’s politics. Today, the religious capital of Iran is where some of the country's most significant decisions are made. The implications of the city's opinion on political issues cannot be underestimated.
In February, a news story alleged that Iran’s Ministry of Culture issues a license for a solo female singer's album titled “Love You, O Ancient Land.” Following the news — which the ministry quickly denied — some of Qom's senior clerics protested the authorization of this album, though their objections were contrary to a decree issued by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic, that was in favor of solo female singing.
Despite the ministry's denial that it issued such a license, criticism and complaints — which were rooted in opposition propaganda to Rouhani in Qom — persisted.
